Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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Mcintosh. Remove A, being skilled in the ways of this world, chose a silent play to avoid the necessity of learning lines. Elmaleh made a really convincing villian who needed hardly any coaching, and Denman, a lighthouse-keeper ' s daughter, supplied the touch of farce that leavened the whole. The Lower Fifth gave us a most realistic picture of the nightmares they cause their History Master when they make a haphazard and horrible goulash of what they have been taught. We were particularly sorry to miss an Upper Fifth play since, in the past, most of us have enjoyed watching others writhe helplessly under the playful barbs of the author though well we knew it would be our turn next. The Seventh Form put on the best skit of the evening, making the United Nations their target and scoring many clever bull ' s eyes. To conclude, four members of the staff gave us a picture of class-room chaos that brought down the house. The memory of Sweetapple being jabbed from the rear as he tried to tell the master about his rough comrades is one we shall long cherish. The House plays were rather longer than usual but sufficiently diversified to appeal to every taste. Ripley ' s went in for horror, leaning heavily on Wood ' s terrifying, high-pitched shriek, Lake ' s for farce and females, and Groves ' for drama, after transplanting the scene of their play to the home ground. The evening went all too quickly, and as the curtain fell for the last time, many of us sadly reflected that it would be another twelve months before the next Rag Concert. Dramatics The Michaelmas Term saw the revival of dramatics in the School. For the time available considerable progress was made, and we hope that greater numbers will take a more active part in this worthwhile side of their education. The broad and racy flavour reminiscent of acting current in popular farces of the 16th century was ably portrayed by Messrs. Johnson, Putnam, Parke I, Wood, and Pinkerton in the staging of Pierre Patelin. Out of this galaxy of stars Mr. Larsen intimated that he found little difficulty in choosing a not to honest lawyer, a man of profound wisdom and impartial judg- ment, and a shepherd who became such an adept pupil that he outwitted his own tutor. Both cast and audience enjoyed to the fullest the extreme humour of the situations and characters. In contrast to Pierre Patelin was Mr. Duxbury ' s production of The Monkey ' s Paw. The tragedy which befell a small English family as a result of their superstitious belief, formed the theme of the play in which Mr. Hyde-Lay, Gowman, Parke II, Patrick, and Burr found ample opportunity to exercise their talents. Their effective performance drew much applause from audience which seemed to appreciate the difficulties of an amateur production of this type. The presentation of Box and Cox by three members of the staff was greatly enjoyed by the entire school. Mr. Hyd e-Lay, as Mrs. Bouncer, played the part of the mercenary landlady quite admirably. Mr. Duxbury, as Mr. Box, and Mr. Larsen, as Mr. Cox, displayed a degree of proficiency in the art of dice-throwing which had not hitherto been suspected. Mr. Box ' s ingenious method of side- stepping his engagement to Calamity Jane, however, was not so surprising. Both SchoolMagazine Page I 1

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by Brig. M. P. Bogert, Commanding Officer, Military District No. 11. Also taking part in the inspection was Major Harriet Moses, United States Senior W.A.C. officer on the Pacific Coast. They were accompanied by Capt. G. C. Brown, District Cadet Officer, and Lieut. J. N. Robertson, Area Officer for Vancouver Island. The corps, made up of one company of three platoons including 66 cadets, drilled with commendable precision, and was congratulated by the Brigadier on its appearance, drill and marching. In his address to the corps, Brig. Bogert stressed the value of cadet work, saying that in any walk of life some have to command while almost all have to learn to obey. He presented to the company the Strathcona Trust Shield, open to all cadets in B. C, won this year by the Shawnigan Lake School Corps for a perfect shooting average of 100 per cent. Demonstrations of training exercises followed? as well as a mock attack with realistic shooting and smoke screens. The inspection was also made the occasion for the dedication and presenta- tion of the cadet corps flag. It was dedicated by the Rev. E. M. Willis, school chaplain, and presented by Major Moses. In his dedicatory address, Mr. Willis gave the flag as a symbol of loyalty to corps, country, King and God. He also drew parallels from history, showing how troops had often rallied from appar- ently hopeless situations in order to save their flag. During the inspection awards were made by Brig. Bogert to the following cadets: gold bullet, Cadets Gowman and Putnam; Dominion of Canada Rifle Association winter competition, second class, highest in unit, Cadet Putnam, 94.3%; Cadets Gowman, 94%; G. H. S. Parke, 93.6%; Wright, 91.3%; Flint, 91%; Harrison, 91%; Tuttle, 91%; Parke, 90.6%; Cowell, 90.3%. Lunch at the school, where Mr. C. W. Lonsdale, Head Master, was host, was followed by a display of physical training by the cadets. Those present at the function included Miss M. Gildea, Head Mistress of Strathcona Lodge School, with some of her students, and a large representation of parents, many from the United States, who had taken advantage of Memorial Day holiday week end across the line to attend. The Rag Concert The Rag Concert, so eagerly awaited and so enthusiastically rehearsed, fell this year on Saturday, November 13 th. There was a very large crowd of parents and friends, the largest apparently there has ever been for this event. The thoughts of all present turned to the Head Master who was not present as he was still recuperating in California. This year ' s concert was most successful, as every number had something to recommend it and play followed play in such swift succession that interest never flagged. Forms I and II gave a most entertaining presentation of the Pied Piper with Ferris, as the Mayor, carrying off top honours, closely followed by Rusty whose occasional forgetting of his lines left him quite unperturbed and com- pletely master of the situation. Remove B ' s play contained a delightful de- nouncement of the kind that we are now beginnning to associate with Mr. PageIO ShawniganLake

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showed rare talent in their handling of complicated and embarrassing situations, and their adroitness in verbally outmanoeuvering one another was highly amusing. To perform successfully before an audience is no small feat. To be able to shed one ' s inhibitions and lurch forth in one ' s bare impulses surely is a great asset, but does not necessarily produce the desired result. Something more is required — natural talent, the ability to live the part, unbounded enthusiasm, and a great deal of good, hard work — these are the essentials. While there were few instances of lapses of memory, some faulty articulation, and lack of expression at times, an evident enthusiasm compensated in a large measure for these deficiencies. It is to the credit of all concerned that latent talents and abilities were discovered, and developed, that the efforts required were freely and generously expended, and that a fair degree of success was attained. The value of .such combined effort and training cannot be over-estimated, and the results, we feel, have been very gratifying. Ripley ' s House Notes Ripley ' s House started off the year with a large number of new boys. This made a few adaptions necessary to help the shadows become accustomed to school life. Although our New Boys were not used to such large scale productions, they made an admirable effort in putting on our Rag Concert play, The Mad Plumber of Copeman ' s. Wood will be long remembered for his soul-searing, maniacal laughter as the Mad Plumber. On the sports front, Ripley ' s did not fare too successfuly. However, if our teams lacked a certain amount of weight and skill, they certainly did not lack spirit, and we are just as proud of all our teams for having played their hardest, cheerfully, and very often against heavy odds, as if they had won every game during the year. From the look of some of our Junior and Intermediate athletes, it won ' t be long before Ripley ' s is back again on top of the sports ladder; so take heart, old Ripleyites. Butt, Allan, Putnam and Flint played for the first XV, and these four were later awarded their House Colours for their efforts on the House XV. During the very cold winter, we were able to form quite a good ice hockey team, with Wilkinson (a Calgarian) playing the leading role, dazzling us with his brilliant skating and stick handling. Many of our more musically-minded boys became enthusiastic members of the choir. The reason for their enthusiasm soon became apparent to the rest of us when we heard in Chapel the results of Mr. Galliford ' s wizzardly training. Some excellent results were produced by the boys in the Hobby Shop and down at the Boat House. Harrison (Model Club), Huston (Taxidermy Club), Wilson I (Machine Shop), amongst others, are to be congratulated on their show of initiative in making use of their spare time. Warm praise is also due to Riley, Chadwick, Allan and Young, who, along with Berry of Lake ' s House, were mainly responsible for getting our sailing fleet back in action. About the middle of the Lent Term, we received a kind donation from Page 12 Shawnigan Lake